Toronto is Canada's Coolest City

Toronto, Ontario, Canada is not only the capital of the province of Ontario but also holds the title for Canada's largest city. Located in southwestern Ontario, the city sits alongside the shorelines of Lake Ontario. Toronto is most commonly known for its financial and economic districts including large corporations and the Toronto Stock Exchange. Features in the economy consist of: media, television, telecommunications, transportation, medical research, software production and others.

Close to half the city's population is made up of immigrants, creating an ethnically diverse core. The name of Toronto is assumed to be from an Iroquois word loosely translated to make reference to trees standing in the water. European settlers (mostly of Irish descent) founded the vicinity after the Huron tribes. Toronto was incorporated as a city in 1834 and has increased to become one of the most culturally diverse and economically rich cities since.

Geography
The city landscape is marked by long waterfront shores, the Toronto Harbour and islands. The area of the metropolis is 243 square miles (630 square km). The region of the city are marked by Lake Ontario and Etobicoke Creek in the south, the Rouge River to the east with highway 427 to the west and Steeles Avenue to the north.

Small sized bodies of water such as tributaries, feed into the Toronto Harbour and have created small islands, ravines and escarpments. Due to the forested regions that have grown, parks, outdoor sites and fun trails have been developed to take advantage. Though the ravines make for faster drainage during rainfall, flooding can still occur. The elevation in the city varies from 246 feet (75 m) to 686 feet (209 m) at various points in the city.


The city has a core population of 2.5 million people with a metropolitan population of somewhere around 5.1 million according to the most recent census. The average age in the city is 36.9. People aged 65 and older comprise 13.6% of the population. Nearly one half of the population are immigrants (49%) with the remaining majority comprised of people from European origins. The city is made up of various cultural centers including Greektown, Little Italy, Chinatown, Little India and others. People of British, Irish, French and Italian descent make up the bulk of the people at 52% with 46% belonging to visible minority group: Chinese (11%), Black (8%), Filipino (4%), South Asian (12%) and Latin American (2%). The area's gender breakdown is: 54% female to 48% male.

Toronto is known as one of the most diverse cities in the world due to the various people groups that are continually immigrating annually (100,000 people). Emergency services have made it achievable to respond to calls in 150 different languages. English still remains dominantly spoken but other languages such as Chinese and Italian are often used in the workplace.

Weather
Toronto's climate is humid and moderate. The winter season is chilly while the summers are warm and humid. Seasonal changes are very specific in Toronto and the city experiences large variances in daily temperatures usually during the winter months.

The core of the city often experiences stable temperatures due to the close proximity to water and the urban structure. The lake does account for various conditions such as fog, seasonal lags, and winds that come off the water making the temperature drop.

The city's ebb and flow at times is disrupted due to snowstorms that can be mixed with ice and rain. Cold snaps often occur in wintertime lowering the temperature below -10 C compared to average temperatures 5 to 12 C . Heat, moisture and precipitation mark the summer months. The typical summer temperature ranges from 23 C to 31 C, and surpasses 35 C during a heatwave. Thunderstorms are routine as is precipitation during the summer.